Rev. William T Chaney Jr appointed as New Pastor of West Baltimore UMC

For immediate release August 31, 2006

Media contact: Erik Alsgaard (410) 309-3425
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CHANEY APPOINTED AS NEW PASTOR AT WEST BALTIMORE UMC


The Rev. William T. Chaney Jr. has been appointed as pastor of the West Baltimore United Methodist Church by resident Bishop John R. Schol of the Baltimore-Washington Conference. Rev. William T Chaney Jr began his pastoral duties at West Baltimore July 1. The church is located at 5130 Greenwich in Baltimore, on the city’s historic “40 West” corridor.

Rev. Chaney, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, was formerly senior partner for Chaney and Associates, LLC a firm he created with his wife, to guide congregations through change and transformation.

A natural, dynamic speaker, William has also served churches in Georgia, Ohio and Maryland since 1990, prior to coming to Baltimore. William has a passion for youth which was demonstrated while he served The Youth Theological Initiative at Emory University , the Youth Hope Builders Academy at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Frederick County. He has also been a featured speaker with Monster.com’s “Making it Count” program to provide students with templates for success in high school, college and beyond.

“My main objective at West Baltimore UMC will be to move the church into becoming a fruit-bearing, disciple-making, Acts 2 congregation,” said Pastor Chaney about his appointment. “I have a vision of a healthy, vibrant church that functions through team ministry to provide opportunities for people’s lives to be transformed. We will be a house of prayer for the entire community.”

Chaney is married to Rev. Michelle Holmes Chaney, and they have one daughter, Courtney Elizabeth. His educational background includes degrees in communication from the University of Cincinnati and Georgia State University. He obtained a Master of Divinity degree from Candler School of Theology, Emory University, in Georgia.

The Baltimore-Washington Conference of The United Methodist Church is comprised of 694 congregations with nearly 200,000 members. It is the home of Methodism in America, with the founding of the denomination at Lovely Lane Chapel in 1784.

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Giving Thanks

34 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 35 Cry out, "Save us, O God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, that we may glory in your praise." 36 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting
I Chronicles 16:34-36

Giving thanks to the Lord in good times is easy. Giving thanks in the bad times is really hard. Developing a hear of gratitude for the many acts that God has done in our live can not be limited to circumstances but must be a conscience reflection of God’s continual blessings large and small.

Giving thanks for the activity of our bodies can not be limited to only the times when we are not in pain. Giving thanks for our significant relationships can not be limited to only the times that you are agreeing on everything. Giving thanks must be more than a response for receiving an extraordinary blessing but it must be a way of life.

Being grateful to God in all things teaches us to be thankful to the people around us for all things. Thanking a co-worker for a smile or thanking your boss for their encouragement can change the entire atmosphere in your workplace. Thanking a waitress for their good service and sharing a double tip to express your gratitude will win you unbelievable service on your next visit.

During your quiet time today make a list of all of the blessings that you would like to thank God for on one side of the paper. On the other side reflect on the people who have blessed you over the last week and send them an email, a card or give them a call to encourage them. Let me know about the responses people give you.

Giving Thanks

William T Chaney Jr
Senior Servant Leader
West Baltimore UMC

Wondering About Faith

Faith is one of the most underutilized spiritual tools that believers have available to them. Trusting in God beyond what is rational and beyond what is comfortable is not popular. In fact most people try developing their own solutions before trusting God. Instead of being the first choice God becomes their last resort.

Changing the behavior comes from changing the values. IF we truly value God as the source of our strength, our Creator and the all powerful One who loves us, then our attitude toward trusting God changes. One way to change the attitude is to change the resources that we depend on.

I was a Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar and Brian Tracy junkie for years and then I met Les Brown, The Motivator. I feasted off of their motivational, sales, and self empowerment messages almost daily. I actually sought their advice and compared it to what Oprah would say. I was challenged to start reading my Bible in equal proportion to my motivational material consumption.

This is where the change took place. The more that I learned about God, the people of the Bible, how Jesus lived among sinners and was compassionate to the needy, the more I saw the error of the self improvement gospel. The self improvement gospel eliminates Gods principals from the equation of “living well”.

Should people be emotionally balanced, yes. Should people have goals, yes. Should people have a purpose, yes. I just believe that all of this must come from trusting in God not in ourselves. For without faith it is impossible to please God – not self motivation.

Wondering About Faith


Rev. William T Chaney Jr
Senior Servant Leader
West Baltimore UMC
5130 Greenwich
Baltimore, MD 21229
(410) 945-8397
http://blog.myspace.com/pastorchaney

West Baltimore UMC: Transforming the 40 West Corridor by Being and Making Disciples for Christ